MAKE-A-BRIDGE® FEATURED IN DESIGN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

March 1, 2012—MONTREAL, CANADA – The MAADI Group engineering firm’s Make-A-Bridge® all-aluminum pedestrian bridge is featured in the Canadian Innovator column in the January/February 2012 issue of Design Engineering magazine (see design-engineering p.34 ). The full-page article examines the MAADI Group structure, and the evolution of the Make-A-Bridge pedestrian bridge’s design.

The development of the weld-free moment resisting joint is highlighted in the article, as the key component to the bridge’s innovative joining method. To prove the bridge’s ability to achieve strict code compliance, validation of the patented bridge design using finite element analyses and destructive testing is also discussed, as well as its yield strength optimization and testing and potential use in Canadian military applications.

“We are really pleased that such a prestigious publication as Design Engineering recognizes the level of design innovation that Make-A-Bridge offers to engineers for commercial, industrial, institutional, and even military applications,” said MAADI Group CEO, Alex de la Chevrotière, “Highlighting our design’s capabilities in such a respected venue will help enable Make-A-Bridge to become a leading structural solution in today’s reduced-footprint infrastructure projects, not just in North America, but worldwide.”

Make-A-Bridge allows a lighter-weight pedestrian bridge structure to be quickly installed in difficult-to-access areas, with no specialized labor, and virtually no maintenance over the entire lifespan of the bridge. De la Chevrotière notes, “This is the “total cost of ownership” or TCO approach, which emphasizes lower overall cost over time for two main reasons: first, aluminum is corrosion-free, and therefore Make-A-Bridge is maintenance free; and second, at the end of its useful life, all of the aluminum in the structure is fully reusable and recyclable, with a very high scrap value. These benefits, along with the bridge’s ease of transport and installation make our aluminum structure extremely cost-competitive with steel bridges. The yield strength of Make-A-Bridge’s design is comparable to A36 steel construction.”

The Design Engineering article showcases the Make-A-Bridge weld-free construction and Meccano-style assembly, along with many cost-saving features and benefits. For more information on Make-A-Bridge and other MAADI Group structural designs, visit www.makeabridge.com, or www.maadigroup.com.